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How to Use AI to Learn Smarter, Not Harder

Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Today at a Glance:

• What Runners Call The ‘Pain Cave’

• Carbohydrates Help Fuel Adaptation & Recovery

• 22 Thoughts on Using AI to Learn Better

What Runners Call The ‘Pain Cave’
Richard Fisher

Lights, Camera, ...
Endurance athletes often speak of the “pain cave”—a mental space they enter when physical discomfort peaks. While the body protests, it's the mind that decides whether to press on. Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter describes this space not as something to escape, but to explore with curiosity and grit. Instead of resisting pain, she imagines digging deeper, expanding her capacity each time. This mindset shift—from avoidance to engagement—echoes a broader truth: whether in sport or life, pain is inevitable, but how we respond can reshape our limits.

Action!

• When discomfort arises—whether physical or emotional—pause, acknowledge it, and shift your mindset from resistance to curiosity. Ask yourself: What can I learn here? How can I grow through this? Treat the challenge as a space to expand your resilience rather than escape it. Obviously within controlled reason.

Carbohydrates Help Fuel Adaptation & Recovery
Brady Holmer

Lights, Camera, ...
Carbohydrates aren't just fuel for race day—they’re key for bouncing back from heat, injury, or illness. New research shows that athletes who ate a high-carb diet during intense heat training saw significantly better performance afterward, even though both high- and low-carb groups adapted physiologically. The carbs didn’t change how the body handled heat—they simply helped it perform better under stress, likely by preserving muscle glycogen and supporting recovery. Similarly, during injury or sickness, adequate carbs (along with protein and key micronutrients) support immune function, tissue repair, and energy balance. Bottom line: whether you're heat training or healing, carbs are your recovery ally.

Action!

• During periods of heat training, injury recovery, or illness, increase your carbohydrate intake to 60–70% of your daily calories and ensure you're eating enough overall, as your calorie needs will likely be higher than normal to support performance, recovery, and immune function.

22 Thoughts on Using AI to Learn Better
Scott H. Young

Lights, Camera, ...
AI tools are rapidly transforming how we learn, offering new ways to access explanations, practice skills, and get feedback—but the fundamentals of learning remain the same. While these advances bring both promise and uncertainty, the ability to adapt and use these tools wisely may become one of the most essential skills of all.

Action!

1. Use AI to reduce unnecessary difficulty, not essential effort. Leverage AI to get clear explanations, relevant examples, and timely feedback that remove frustrating barriers, but don’t let it replace the core learning activities like practicing skills, recalling information, and actively building your understanding.

2. Focus on learning high-value, AI-adjacent skills. Even though AI can perform many tasks like translation or basic coding, developing your own knowledge and skills in these areas remains important. Use AI to accelerate your learning and deepen your grasp, especially in areas where human judgment and creativity add unique value.

3. Prompt AI in ways that are easy to verify. To avoid misinformation, ask AI for verifiable outputs—such as primary sources or clearly checkable examples—and use it for creative aids like analogies and mnemonics where exact accuracy is less critical.

4. Use AI as a tutor, not a teacher. Approach AI with specific questions or pinpointed problems rather than expecting comprehensive lessons. Iteratively refine your prompts to get helpful, targeted explanations that fill gaps in your understanding, complementing rather than replacing traditional learning resources.

5. Build custom tools to support your learning. Combine AI with simple coding or automation to create personalized study aids—like practice question generators, summarized content, or vocabulary lists—that suit your unique learning goals and help you practice efficiently beyond what generic tools can offer.

TOOL TIP

Aqua: Aqua Voice uses a fusion transcription architecture + a client context engine to be one of the most accurate speech-to-text system available. Text is automatically formatted to fit the specific application and document. This enables using voice for entirely new applications like technical prompting.

FUN FACT

Smells can pass through liquid. Please don’t try smelling underwater (your nose will not appreciate it), but smell does protrude through liquid. 

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Find your fuel

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.